Police, towns report all is quiet after snow, freezing rain

Published on Wednesday, 7 February 2018 20:32 Written by Lorenzo Burgio

@BURGIOBP

Wednesday was quiet for area towns as their winter cleanup crews were out handling the mix of snow, sleet, freezing rain and rain that was expected throughout the day and into the night.

The National Weather Service issued a winter advisory warning for the entire state before snow began to fall Wednesday morning.

Between three to seven inches were expected in northern Connecticut, and two to four inches were expected inland, according to WFSB-TV3.

The snow then changed to a mix of sleet, freezing rain and rain during the afternoon, which was expected to continue until midnight with an overnight low of 21 degrees, reported WFSB.

Due to the weather, schools in Bristol, Plainville, Southington and Plymouth were closed on Wednesday.

“It’s a tricky storm - we’ve been right on the line of snow/sleet since the storm started around 9 a.m., although accumulation has been minimal,” said Bristol Mayor Ellen Zoppo-Sassu around 2:30 p.m.

Winter cleanup crews in Bristol treated roads with 16 to 20 trucks and other equipment, and plowed between one and two inches off of the streets Wednesday afternoon, Zoppo-Sassu said.

“We have our full fleet of trucks and equipment out there right now,” Joe Mone, superintendent of Bristol streets, said around 12:30 p.m. “There’s hardly one inch, but we are going to stay on it.”

Zoppo-Sassu anticipated that public works and police on second shift were going to be busier if the freezing rain that was predicted occurred during rush hour.

“I think our crews are in for a long and tedious afternoon/evening,” said Zoppo-Sassu, who noted that crews would keep an eye on the weather and roads for the remainder of Wednesday.

Mone added, “We are preparing for the freezing rain and we will be out there until it’s all done.”

There were a few minor crashes throughout the afternoon, in addition to a motor vehicle accident that closed Willis Street in Bristol, Zoppo-Sassu said.

With the exception of the accident on Willis Street that knocked down two utility poles, Wednesday’s storm made for a quiet day for Bristol police.

“So far it’s been good,” Bristol Lt. Todd Kozaryn said in the early afternoon hours. “It’s not too bad out there from what I’ve heard.”

The Bristol Police Department issued a citywide emergency parking back that went into effect at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, which will remain in effect until further notice. Any violation can result in a ticket and tow of offending vehicles.

Kozaryn added that there were a couple of parking tickets issued, in violation of that ban, stemming from four complaints police received.

“As for how storms go, this one has been quiet for us,” Kozaryn said.

Around 11:30 a.m., with snow falling steadily, officers in both Plainville and Southington had reported no crashes yet.

“So far so good, but it’s still early, we’ll see what happens,” said Master Sgt. Mike Kahn of the Southington Police Department. The town of Southington closed all of its municipal buildings around noon on Wednesday.

“I don’t want to jinx it, but so far so good,” said Sgt. Mark Connoy of the Plainville Police Department.